Hamster behaviors are appealing and building a hamster habitat with connecting tubes only make those antics more fascinating. In their natural environment hamsters live in burrows with winding tunnels connecting to small chambers.

Hamster connecting tubes are plastic or acrylic passageways that emulate this environment by linking together different parts of the hamster habitat into an integrated living space. Hamsters love to scramble through these simulated tunnels that cater to their natural instincts.

Extending the living environment

Your hamster’s basic living environment can be boring, both for the animal to live in and for you to watch. Adding hamster tubes gives your pet more room to explore. The running and climbing involved provides your pet with exercise and intellectual stimulation. You as the owner get not only the satisfaction of knowing you have provided a better life for your pet but the amusement of watching it interact with its enhanced environment.

Before you design your hamster’s home, put yourself in the animal’s place. You are just a few inches tall, and if you stand on your hind legs you can reach perhaps four or five inches from the floor. If you add a ladder, elevated platforms, and climbing tubes to its home, your hamster can now move in all different directions.

Design the hamster connecting tubes

Plan to connect the tubes at an angle that the animal can negotiate. Short stretches can be nearly vertical, but tunnels of any length should be only a little above horizontal. Keep in mind that dwarf hamsters may have trouble climbing up tall vertical tubes.

The tunnels can be U or lollipop shapes off a single enclosure, or they can connect two or more hamster cages. They should not be short enough that your pet gets bored, or so long that they get lost or tired.

While the tubes need not lead anywhere other than back to the hamster’s living quarters, they can be connected to different and additional living areas for your pet to enjoy. In fact, some hamster cages have holes that let you connect tubes so you hammy can run back and forth between cages.

Like the tubes, these additional running areas should be cleaned whenever they require it. One advantage of the interconnecting environments is that they usually come with plugs, permitting you to shut your hamster in one part of the habitat while you clean a different part.

Think about your pet’s safety, too. To a hamster, connecting tubes can be a trap, particularly if the animal is rotund and the passage is small. Make sure the tunnels are of a large enough diameter for your hamster to negotiate at a run, not a wriggle.

Connecting the system

Hamster tubes come in segments, either straight or bent, that twist together. Most hamster environments can be created by snapping the tubes together with no tools. Some hamster cages come with holes to which the tubes can connect. Be careful not to twist too hard when connecting the tubes to the holes or the plastic can break.

Like any pet, a hamster depends on its owner to provide it with a suitable environment. Hamster tubes can be an inexpensive and visually appealing option to accomplish that. They represent very good value for the money because they keep you entertained while exercising your hamsters.

I’ve looked through YouTube and picked out some of the best hamster videos that show off how people use their hamster tubes. None of these are the simple kind that fit inside a hamster cage. These are the tube set ups that GO CRAZY!

Just remember, if you want to go this route you better have plenty of time to put the tubes together and even more time to take them apart and clean them.

5 CRAzIeST Hamster Cages on YouTube! Tube Overload!

Five different ways to connect tubes to cages. The last one is a collection of still picture showing how the tubes were put together. The person who shot this video also gives you a little description of how it was done with lnks to a basic cage and the tubes. You can see the same cages and tubes on the hamster cages and accessories page.

Time: 1:49

The following are three videos all by the same person: Part 1, 2, and 3.

They are all slide shows showing still pictures of different hamster cages with tubes. FUN MUSIC plays in the background!

Crazy Hamster Cages, Part 1!

Time: 1:16

Crazy Hamster Cages, Part 2!

Also features cats closely observing the cages. Poor frightened roborovski!

Time: about 3 minutes

Crazy Hamster Cages, Part 3!

More music and photos.

Time: 2:18

Tube overload!

A quickie video. Shows the set up for two dwarf hamsters. The tubes go up down and around for one cage.

Time: 41 seconds

Hamster City Part 1

A short video showing lots of tubes that go straight up in the air. Some tough climbing, especially for dwarf hamsters.

Time: 51 seconds

The Evolution of Ham-Tropolis

Still pictures showing how one cage with tubes started and then just grew and grew!

Music used is the Hamster Dance song.

I think taking apart, cleaning, and putting back together this set up would take about a day.

There are some steps you should take when you want to let your hamster loose to play inside hamster tubes.

Plan

Plan the layout of your tubes before you start to build them. If you build first, you may find you don’t have enough space for the tubes. The tube layout will depend on how you’re going to use your tubes.

One option is to have a large hamster cage and keep all the tube pieces inside. You can have small pieces that go horizontally across the cage. Or others that twist and turn in a circle inside the cage. Or make a design that lets your hamster climb from the bottom to the top level of the cage.

Another way to go is to start with a hamster cage that has some tubes as part of its design. They usually go outside the cage. You can then plan on adding on more tubes to the ones outside the cage. In this way you can keep building until you have a large maze of tubes that are outside the cage.

Some people use two cages and use the tubes to connect the cages and let their hamster run between the cages.

Another simple option is to put together some tubes that the hamster uses just for exercise, like a hamster exercise ball. You put the hamster in the tube maze you’ve built when you know you’ll be there to watch him play.

When planning your layout, do leave some space in the cage for the hamster to rest. Inside the hamster cage you should still have bedding in an area where your hammy can get some rest and sleep, a bathroom area, a water bottle, running wheel, and of course, a food dish.

Build

Attach all the tube pieces carefully according to your plan. Read the instructions and work slowly. Some tube pieces are harder to get together than others and you don’t want to break any pieces. Be especially careful if you are attaching tubes to a cage opening. You don’t want to leave space that your hamster can escape through.

Getting your hamster to use the tube

Syrians and Teddy Bear hamsters usually take to climbing through the tubes pretty easily. But dwarf hamsters may take some coaxing.

Don’t go crazy when you first set up the tubes. Try a few at a time. Give your hamster some time to sniff around the new tubes. Your hamster may be used to burrowing, but plastic tubes are probably a new experience for him. One trick is to put some treats inside the tubes. Your hamster will then climb inside the tube to get the treat. Do this a few times until your hamster gets used to the tubes.

Expand

Once you see your hamster easily moving around the few tubes, you can start adding some interesting twists and turns.

Make a circle around the cage, make a maze, or go from one level to another. Add a lookout. Make sure your put the tubes where you can see them so you can enjoy watching your hammy run through them. If you are running tubes horizontally on the floor, leave some space for people to walk around them. You don’t want anyone stepping on the tubes and breaking them!

When added to your hamster cage, those colorful hamster tubes can be a lot of fun for your hamster. But keep these tips in mind when you’re planning your climbing tube mazes.

Connecting the Tubes

When you’re putting your hamster tubes together, you want them to fit together tightly – but not so tight you can’t get them apart. You might think about gluing or taping them together – but DON’T DO IT!. The glue can have chemicals that are dangerous for your hamster. And the tape will most likely not hold the pieces together securely. What’s more, seeing the tape can get your hamster’s attention and he or she might then get interested in trying to chew threw the tape and escape. Dwarf hamsters are especially good at this.

Keep the hamster tubes clean

Just like your hamster cage, you’ve got to clean out the tubes. Tubes get dirty over time and some hamsters will pee while in their tubes. And sometimes there are bits of leftover food in the tubes. If that was fresh food, over time it will start to rot. So you have to clean the tubes.

Here’s how to do it:

Be careful when snapping the pieces apart. You spent a lot of effort getting the pieces together, so you don’t want them to break when you’re taking them apart. You may want to rinse them under some hot water to make it easier to get the pieces apart.

Clean the pieces with warm water and soap and let them dry. Alcohol or other cleaners can leave a residue that can be harmful to your hamster – so don’t’ use that type of cleaner.

Reassemble the pieces carefully. Once again, follow directions, take your time, and don’t use glue. And while you’re at it, why not try out a new layout for your tubes?

Inspect and Replace the tubes

Sometimes the plastic used for the climbing tubes can get cracked. This might happen when you’re putting it together. Or your hamster might be trying to gnaw through the plastic. The sharp edges of the plastic can be quite dangerous for your hammy. The edges can injure or even kill a hamster. Inspect your tubes to be sure they are in good shape.

If you spot a cracked tube, simply replace it. It’s better to have a few extra tube pieces around to use as replacements. It’s a lot easier than having to find a lost hamster.

Vertical tubes

You can make a lot of interesting hamster tube runs with vertical tubes, especially if you can place them outside the hamster cage. But don’t make your tubes go too high.

Dwarf hamsters, because of their size, may have a harder time climbing up vertical tubes. If your hammy finds it too difficult to climb, it may just forget about climbing at all.

But even with Syrian hamsters, if the tubes go up too high, they can be harder to climb. Or your hamster could get part of the way up, fall down, and get hurt by the fall. Don’t make your vertical tubes go up so high that they are dangerous.